Model OAS General Assembly for studentsEAFIT University headquarters, Medellin,
May 21-23, 2008

The OAS, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of
Colombia and EAFIT University of Medellin, with
the support of Universidad del Norte (UNINORTE)
of Barranquilla, are organizing a National Model
OAS General Assembly (MOAS)
for university students. The MOAS is a
simulation the OAS General Assembly where
through role-playing the students represent each
of the OAS Member States of the OAS. The MOAS
is designed to promote democracy among the youth
of the Hemisphere by familiarizing students with
the work of the OAS, while at the same time they
learn about important current issues affecting
the Western Hemisphere.

Finals and award ceremony of the Talent and Innovation Competition of the
Americas Hotel Intercontinental, Medellín, March 28-30, 2008

In 2007-2008 the Young Americas Business Trust (YABT)
held the second Talent and Innovation Competition of the Americas (TIC
Americas), an opportunity for young people to present their business-related
ideas to a diverse international audience.

The private sector plays a key role in creating jobs and
prosperity, and the OAS therefore supports the business community’s efforts. In
this regard, the OAS, in conjunction with the Government of Colombia and
business leaders in the Hemisphere, is organizing the forum "Good Governance for
Development and Competitiveness in the Americas: the Role of Public-Private
Partnerships.” The recommendations of the forum will be transmitted to the OAS
member state governments on June 1 during the dialogue of the heads of
delegation of the General Assembly and the OAS Secretary General with private
sector representatives.

Preparatory Meeting of Workers'
Representatives for the Dialogue with Ministers
of Foreign Affairs in the framework of the
XXXVIII OAS General Assembly
Hotel Nutibara, Medellín, Colombia (AGENDA): May
31, 2008 (Agenda)

Workers' representatives in the region will
gather in this space to share their perspectives
on the central theme of the General Assembly, as
well as to define the messages and proposals
which will be shared with the Foreign Ministers
during the dialogue that will take place the
next day . The meeting will be conducted by the
authorities of the Trade Union Technical
Advisory Council (COSATE) and the Trade Union
Confederation of the Americas (CSA by its
acronym in Spanish)

Colombia
will have the honor of commemorating the 60th anniversary of the OAS
Charter, signed in Bogotá in 1948. To mark this occasion, the Ministry of
Foreign Affairs, in collaboration with Medellín’s EAFIT University, will hold an
academic forum on “Democracy’s New Actors” at that university on May 31 from
9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. That evening, the President of the Republic, Mr. Álvaro
Uribe Vélez, will host a gala dinner for the ministers of foreign affairs,
high-ranking officials, official delegations, and private-sector representatives
of the OAS member countries in Medellín’s Orquideorama.

The ministers of foreign affairs, heads of delegation of
the OAS member countries, and the Secretary General, José Miguel Insulza, will
meet with the heads of delegation of the permanent observer countries to discuss
the theme of the General Assembly and other matters of common interest,
including economic cooperation. For more information, please contact Irene
Klinger (iklinger@oas.org;
tel.: 1 (202) 458-6072).

The purpose of the dialogue among the ministers of
foreign affairs or the heads of delegation of the OAS member states, the OAS
Secretary General, and civil society representatives is to exchange experiences
and generate recommendations for consideration by the heads of delegation in
their ongoing deliberations at the General Assembly session. For more
information on the requirements for participation in the dialogue, please visit
the Summits Secretariat Web page:
www.civil-society.oas.org.

Resolution AG/RES. 2315 (XXXVII-O/07),
“Participation of Workers’ Representatives in
Activities of the Organization of American
States” invites the workers’ representatives to
hold a dialogue with the ministers of foreign
affairs, prior to the inaugural sessions of the
OAS General Assembly and the Summits of the
Americas, so that said representatives may make
recommendations and proposals for initiatives
related to the theme of the General Assembly or
the Summits of the Americas.

The OAS General Secretariat has held
consultations with the Trade Union Technical
Advisory Council (COSATE), a consultative organ
of the Inter-American Conference of Ministers of
Labor, and has extended invitations to workers’
representatives in each of the member states.

If you would like more information regarding
this activity, please contact
Maria Claudia
Camacho, at the Department of Social
Development and Labor.

The heads of delegation attending the thirty-eighth regular session of
the General Assembly will also meet with private-sector representatives in a
dialogue chaired by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Colombia, Fernando Araújo
Perdomo; the OAS Secretary General, José Miguel Insulza; and the OAS Assistant
Secretary General, Ambassador Albert Ramdin. The representatives of the private
sector will report on the recommendations made at the
V Private Sector Forum.